I'll admit I was a bit stunned when Avery was picked, but after calming down and looking at things with a little more clarity, I think he has the potential to be Az Hakim with better hands. Sounds like he's got the slot receiver job, so we shouldn't have to wait long to find out what he can do.

* Henry Ellard worrked him out personally, twice, and put a great grade on this guy...

* Saunders told the brass when asked that he's the guy who best fits what he's trying to do, because he wants to put him in the slot (at first) and make defenses be accountable for his speed. Al wants to be able to spread that defense. Which makes a helluva lot of sense to me. Unless you all want to see more of the same, slow, plodding BS we were treated to last year.

* He has a chance to be a real threat as a KOR.

Call me silly, but I'll take the word over the great WR Henry Ellard and a pretty damned good offensive football coach (Saunders) over some insta-draft experts on this here Internet board.

Ok. At first when this pick was announced, i was pissed just like most of us were. We could of had any other WR that most had projected in the 1st. Desean "linehan fav" Jackson was still there, and the guy gets mentored by Jerry Rice. But, Now that i see it, Since no WR was drafted in the First, it's logical to say No WR was that much higher on any team's boards than other WR's. ...This guy is gonna make some great plays In Al Saunder's Offense. He's a perfect slot receiver that will move up in the depth charts over the years.

I was rooting for us to get Devin Thomas, but I'm not pissed by the Avery pickup at all. IMO we had to get one in rd 2 and Avery was obviously the #1 Wr on the Rams board.

For those bent out of shape saying he was the #11 ranked WR out there, keep looking cause you will also find places that have him ranked as high as #4 and many have Sweed, Jackson, Caldwell and Hardy ranked lower. There was no consensus for who was #1 as they all lacked something...all the WRs this year were a crapshoot.

POSITIVES: Game-breaking receiver who can take it the distance. Plays with outstanding balance, body control, and quickness. Fluid off the line, quickly gets to top speed, and leaves defenders in the dust if given the slightest bit of open space. Has a second gear, easily runs to the long throw, and makes the difficult over-the-shoulder catch running full speed. Displays solid eye/hand coordination, finds the soft spot in the defense, and for the most part catches the ball with his hands.

NEGATIVES: Not a strong, sturdy receiver, loses out in battles, and easily brought down. Average route-runner with marginal sharpness into breaks.

ANALYSIS: Avery comes off a career season and his game-breaking speed is intriguing. He must polish his game, yet he could quickly find an opportunity at the next level as a third receiver and learn on the job.

I think one thing we have to consider here is that just as you have "under" tackles and nose tackles, inside linebackers and outside linebackers, you've also got a lot of different kinds of wide receiver...the flanker versus the split end, the motion Z receiver versus the X receiver. Likewise the prospects at receiver, their skills, and their physical attributes had a much wider variance than many other positions.

For example, the offensive linemen taken on the first day ranged from about 6'4" to 6'7" and were all in the neighborhood of 309-323 lbs (data taken from NFLDraftcountdown.com). The first day receivers ranged from 5'9" to 6'6" and from 169-224 lbs. If you really want to get into rankings, you almost have to divide them up into different kinds of receivers. You've got...

The Deep Threats (Able to get separation from defenders with speed and quickness, elusive in the open field, but often not that strong)
DeSean Jackson
Donnie Avery
Eddie Royal

So if we're looking for a deep threat, Royal isn't as proven as Avery or as fast. Jackson may have some attitude issues and is so small that durability is a worry. Avery has about average height, good college production, all the speed you could ask for, and apparently really impressed the coaches. Seems like a winning combination to me.

Im sold...and optimistic as I can be now. Great site, glad I found it when I did, I would be at home stewing right now about our 2nd pick. But with some intelligent and informed views that I have just reviewed....Im ready, lets do this Avery. Pray for bruce2, and not another klopenstien...

I don't like the pick at all. We used the 33rd pick to draft a receiver who probably is never going to be better than a 3. You can find serviceable slot guys around, with a
team with as many needs as this one you don't use the 33rd pick to draft a 3 receiver.

You can never have enough CB's and DE's and their were 2 there in Flowers and Groves who I think would have been much better picks. If you MUST go WR there (which is idiotic considering how bad this team is in so many areas) I think you go hit or miss with Devin Thomas. Sure there is a slight chance he is a bust (I'd say no more so than Avery) but there is a better chance he develops into a #1 or at least a solid #2. That would have made way more sense considering this team doesn't have a #1 anymore. Holt is now a #2 and I don't know what Bennett is but it ain't a #2. When you have that you don't draft a #3. If Thomas worked out you don't have to take another WR high up in next year's class, the way things stand now the Rams will probably be looking WR in the first next year.

I think it is extraordinarily unlikely that Avery would have lasted to the 3rd round.

Nine WRs were taken in Round 2. I seriously doubt that Avery would not have been among them if the Rams had passed on him.

I don't know what everyone else is mad at, but I for one am mad at the value of the pick. I think we could've traded back to the early 40's to grab him so that maybe a team that wanted Brohm/Henne could snag them there at #33. We'll, here's to hoping Dan Connor is the pick tomorrow. *Crosses fingers*

And I should add that although he is a tad faster than DeSean Jackson, Jackson is younger and he has much better hands than Avery. Avery catches alot of balls with his body where as Jackson uses his hands all the time and is being tutored by Rice, which is why I was a bt peeved about the pick.

And for Bernie, he brings up Ellard and Saunders which is fine. But if you ask Haslett and the defensive coaches input on the first pick it's for Dorsey, yet we clearly didn't go that way. That does not mean a whole lot when Devaney and Linehan clearly have their own agenda and you can tell this was Scott's pick all the way.

If the Ram's would have selected Jordy Nelson at #33 everyone here would have been saying the rams could have traded down to get him, no one would have known the packers were ready to grab him 4 picks later. How is everyone so sure that that Avery would have been availble later? We need a deep threat, now we have one. Great pick

I'm not that happy about this pick. I see Avery as a good prospect as a #3 slot receiver - but not someone who is a potential #1 or #2 guy. A speedy slot receiver is something we could have picked much later and spent this premium pick on something else (or we could have just played Dante Hall in that role again).

I must admit I find it funny how a lot of people are busy rationalizing to themselves why he is now the best receiver in the draft all of a sudden just because we picked him. I've already heard ridiculous Isaac Bruce comparisons (completely off btw. - they're not the same type of receiver at all). And apparently the Houston Chronicle (hometown papers tend to rate their own players a little higher normally) is now all of a sudden the only source worth listening to (how many times has it been quoted so far? 20?) when it comes to receiver rankings whereas the 50 other places that had him ranked as the 8th or 10th best receiver in the draft are completely ignored. I'm sure the same thing would have happend with any other receiver had we picked him.

What I really wanted to do with our 2nd round pick was get Kenny Phillips - I even called it a couple of picks before he was taken: we should have parted ways with a late pick and moved up to get him (very easy to do - everyone was moving back and forth). Phillips & Atogwe would have secured us two great starting safeties - we wouldn't even have to worry about that area for the next 10 years then IMO.

We just spend a VERY high 2nd round pick replacing Kevin Curtis who we could just have resigned instead (especially when we had plans to cut Isaac Bruce!) - doesn't anyone else hate the total lack of planning by our front office? We've been waltzing from one decision to the next with no overall strategy for our WR's (among other areas) these last couple of years.

We'll be looking for another receiver high in the draft next year again I think - we still haven't got a real heir to Bruce or Holt.

Coach Scott Linehan is a stickler for run-and-catch receivers. With Donnie Avery of the University of Houston, there's a big emphasis on run.

Avery ran a 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine that many wide receiver would be happy with: a 4.43.

He did that with a pulled hamstring.

A healthy Avery turned in a 4.34-second 40 at his pro day, and he has run as fast as 4.29 seconds.

But that was just one of the reasons the Rams made Avery their second-round pick — No. 33 overall — in the NFL draft Saturday.

"You have to be able to play, too," Linehan said. "He's just not a pure track guy."

Avery, 5-11, 190 pounds, caught 91 passes for 1,456 yards last season, and had 210 catches over his college career. Avery had some problems with drops last season, but played part of the season with a thumb injury.

"I have good hands," Avery said. "I had a little issue during the season. I had a dislocated thumb. I was catching things with my body to make sure they were secure. During the season, I started catching with my hands again and everything was cool."

An added value for Avery is on kickoff returns. He averaged 28.3 yards on 15 returns last season for Houston, including a 100-yard return.

"I'm the type of player who hates to sit on the sidelines," Avery said. "If I'm not playing receiver, I want to be on every special team. I want to contribute as much as possible."

The Rams have been missing a deep threat in the wide receiver corps since Kevin Curtis signed with Philadelphia in free agency one year ago. Avery, who has a chance to be the team's No. 3 wide receiver next season, could fill that role. He had 17 catches for 20 yards or more last season.

"We really noticed when he gets out there and gets behind people on those big posts and those (deep) routes, you can really see his ability to stretch the field," Linehan said.

Linehan is a stickler for yards after the catch, and believes Avery can help in that category. The Rams were tied for 30th in that category last season in the NFL, averaging only 4.1 yards after each catch. That's the lowest figure for the team since the move to St. Louis. Linehan said the Rams regarded Avery as the best yards-after-the-catch, or "YAC" receiver in the draft.

"My running after the catch is great," Avery said. "I like YAC. YAC is my friend."

Picking a wide receiver in the second round seemed like a slam dunk for the Rams, particularly given the fact that no wide receiver was taken in the first 32 picks of the NFL draft.

Selecting Avery was a surprise, because he came before more well-known pass-catchers such as Michigan State's Devin Thomas, Florida's Andre Caldwell, California's DeSean Jackson, and Texas' Limas Sweed.

But the Rams obviously liked what they saw in Avery, who paid a pre-draft visit to Rams Park last week.

"He becomes a runner with the ball in his hands," said Billy Devaney, the Rams' executive vice president of player personnel. "He's looking to score and he is looking for yards. He puts a lot of pressure on defenses."

* Henry Ellard worrked him out personally, twice, and put a great grade on this guy...

* Saunders told the brass when asked that he's the guy who best fits what he's trying to do, because he wants to put him in the slot (at first) and make defenses be accountable for his speed. Al wants to be able to spread that defense. Which makes a helluva lot of sense to me. Unless you all want to see more of the same, slow, plodding BS we were treated to last year.

* He has a chance to be a real threat as a KOR.

Call me silly, but I'll take the word over the great WR Henry Ellard and a pretty damned good offensive football coach (Saunders) over some insta-draft experts on this here Internet board.

DONNIE Avery is one of the fastest-moving prospects in this year's NFL draft. And that's not a reference to his 4.2 speed in the 40-yard dash.

Avery's mind-blowing speed and change-of-pace quickness have the wide receiver from the University of Houston lighting up the NFL draft charts. Where he once was viewed as at third-rounder at best, some general managers, having seen the numbers from his workouts, now are projecting him to go anywhere between the 20th and 40th picks.

"I think he is fast," Texans general manager Rick Smith said. "Boy, (Avery is) an electric player. Explosive. (Avery is) going to be a good player in this league. One thing you can't coach is speed."

Avery, as well as Cougars' teammate Anthony Alridge, has speed to burn. But while scouts struggle with Alridge's size - at 5-9 and 174 pounds and no defined position he is considered a "luxury pick" - Avery has good, not great, size at 5-11 and 192 pounds.

"I've always felt that I was supposed to be up there (a high draft pick)," said Avery, who caught 91 passes for 1,456 yards last season for the Cougars, "but I guess I'm just now showing that to everyone."

Most NFL insiders knew of Avery's speed, which has been clocked at 4.28. But most figured Avery, who had 17 plays of 20-or-more yards last season, had only straight-line speed, lacking the footwork quickness needed to make the explosive cuts necessary to thrive in the NFL.

But Avery silenced all doubts when at the University of Houston Pro Day he ran the three-cone drill at 6.30 seconds, and that was with a tweaked hamstring.

For comparison, the fastest time by a wide receiver at the 2008 NFL Combine was 6.57 by Louisville's Harry Douglas. Florida's Andre Caldwell ran a 6.75, Kentucky's Keenan Burton ran a 6.77 and Purdue's Dorien Bryant clocked a 6.88.

Avery also turned in a 3.91 time in the 20-yard shuffle, with only Richmond's Arman Shields coming close at 3.93 seconds. Every other wide receiver at the combine ran over 4.1 seconds.

Home-run potential

Combine all that with the other so-called measurables a 37 1/2 -inch vertical jump, 16 reps on the bench press and a 10-6 standing broad jump and you have the makings of an impact NFL receiver with home-run potential every time he touches the ball.

While he once attracted doubts as a "system" receiver, Avery is now attracting comparisons to similar-sized first-rounders like Joey Galloway (No. 8 by Seattle in 1995) and Santana Moss (No. 16 in 2001 by the New York Jets).

"I think I helped myself at the Senior Bowl," said Avery. "I showed the NFL coaches and scouts there that I could run (NFL) routes, and they were pretty excited about that."

After dropping by Tennessee and Tampa Bay last week, Avery visited the Rams, Jets and Raiders this week. Indianapolis called, hoping to squeeze him in next week, but since there were no open dates remaining the Colts will come to Houston and work out Avery.

An amazing experience

"I've been having good interviews, and I'm finally healthy," Avery said. "Everything at my Pro Day turned out really well. I think I broke the record for the three-cone drill.

"(NFL scouts) are looking for guys who can move, who are real shifty and have that good footwork. I think I showed that.

"This is amazing," added Avery of the experience. "I still think I'm dreaming sometimes. But I'm taking it all day by day and not getting a big head. I'm still out there working hard and working out every day.

DIONNA'S daddy doesn't cry very often. The only time he remembers shedding a tear in the last decade was that day, three years ago, when she was born.

So he isn't likely to burst into tears while lacing up his cleats this evening at Reliant Stadium.

That doesn't mean today will be an ordinary day for Donnie Avery. Oh, it's a special day - his last on the field in a Houston Cougar uniform. Or shall we say, another special day.

Seems those type days - like most Saturdays during the fall when the talented wide receiver is shredding defensive backfields - are fairly common for Avery, whose Cougars face TCU tonight in the Texas Bowl.

As sentimental and meaningful as his final college football game might be - and do expect Avery to shine against the Horned Frogs - picking up a college degree a couple of weeks ago meant more. Much more.

Something to celebrate

To some it might seem we overdo it in celebrating athletes who earn college degrees - that is what the schools are there for, right? - but let's face it, there are probably more athlete-students than student-athletes playing major college football these days.

So when an athlete with as much responsibility as Avery has accomplished so much on and off the field, we should stand and applaud.

The story didn't have to turn out this way.

At one point, darling Dionna almost became the reason Avery would not get a degree. Instead, she ended up being one of the chief reasons he did, becoming the first in his family to do so.

"She's been keeping me focused, because I want to be a good role model for her and other kids to say, `Anybody can do it,' " said Avery, whose degree is in health. "I can easily say to her and other kids, `I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but if you're motivated and dedicated, anything is possible.' "

Sounds pretty smart.

The young father, who was named to the Conference USA all-freshman team the day after Dionna was born, considered quitting school and giving up football to get a job not too long after her birth.

Wisely, he stuck it out, giving up hanging out with teammates as much as he would have liked to along the way.

"I needed money to take care of her, and to me, family comes first," Avery said. "But my parents told me to stick with it; it'll pay off in the long run. Long-term means more than short-term.

"As I said, I believe family comes first, but at the same time, education is very important to be able to provide for her in the long run."

NFL should beckon

That shouldn't be a problem if NFL draft projections are anywhere near accurate.

Many scouts have Avery graded as a second-round pick. NFLdraftscout.com rates him as the No. 6 senior receiver prospect in the upcoming draft, and he is listed as the fastest available at the position. No surprise there, since he impressed NFL scouts by running back-to-back 40-yard dashes in 4.26 seconds last spring.

He can solidify that position at the Senior Bowl in January and at the NFL combine the following month.

Avery led UH in receptions (81) and receiving yards (1,336), finishing fifth in the country in the latter category.

Avery, who attended Alief Hastings, has come a long way from his days when he took a pounding while running scout team as a redshirt freshman. Those days, he says, were pivotal to his growth as a player.

His growth as a person has come quickly thanks to the days he spends with his daughter.

A very merry Christmas

"Her Christmas went well," Avery said. "She got everything she wanted, so much so that it made me want to be a kid again so I could get everything I wanted."

Avery was all smiles in describing the holiday and all smiles in greeting others' kids Thursday when he joined 14 fellow seniors at the DePelchin Children's Center.

After signing autographs for the host of adopted children (and instant Cougars fans), he asked the Texas Bowl staff if he could have a commemorative football so his teammates could sign it for him.

He said it was a special day.

Today - when he and wide receiver Perry McDaniel tie a school record by playing in their 50th career game - is going to be another memorable day, especially if the Cougars win.

Exciting but sad

"It's going to be exciting, but at the same time, it's going to be sad," Avery said. "To see the program turn around and us build and grow together, it'll be very special to walk off that field with these guys for the last time as winners."

You really don't need to look at the scoreboard to see if Avery is a winner.